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What characteristics and qualities should a good teacher possess? I believe if a teacher possesses the following characteristics and qualities, he/she can become a very good teacher with large fan base too.

1. Friendliness and Congeniality

I think the most important characteristic of a good teacher can have is to be friendly and congenial with his students. It is a plus if his students can share their problems with him, without being afraid or hesitant.

2. Deep Knowledge and a Great Education

Another important characteristic of a good teacher is his knowledge and own education. There is a saying that ‘a teacher is only as good as his knowledge is.’

3. A Good Communicator

One of the very important characteristics of a good teacher is his communication skills. He should be a very good speaker. This characteristic will provide benefits in several ways.

4. A Good Listener

Apart from being a good communicator, a good teacher should also have the characteristic of being an even better listener. As there is Turkish proverb: “If speaking is silver; then listening is gold.”

5. A Good Sense of Humor

A good teacher should also have the quality and characteristic of having a good sense of humor.

6. Kindness

The last but obviously one of the most important characteristics to have in his box of qualities: he should be a gentle, kind, chivalrous, and benevolent person. Students should love him, and when they do love him, they idolize him. Then ultimately, they will respect him, will do the homework, and eventually will bring greater outputs and results.

Franklin Covey has built a worldwide reputation for helping to increase the personal effectiveness of individuals and teams, and with it, their morale and engagement. The concept of keeping a compelling scoreboard as one of the disciplines to attain success clearly illustrates ‘the results drive engagement just as engagement drives results’. This is particularly true when the team can see the direct impact their actions have on the results.

What does actually motivate an employee? Most people work for money and they quit for money. I know for sure that ‘achieving’ people are most satisfied in their jobs when they experience achievement. 4 Disciplines instills a sense of achievement in its players through keeping a compelling scoreboard as one of the disciplines.

I quote from the book ‘A motivating players’ scoreboard not only drives results but uses the visible power of progress to instill the mindset of winning’.

Like this:

The concept of Level 5 Leadership was created by business consultant, Jim Collins. He wrote about it in a well-respected 2001 Harvard Business Review article, and published his research in his popular book, “From Good to Great.” The concept came about during a study that began in 1996, when Collins began researching what makes a great company. He started by looking at 1,435 companies, and ended up choosing 11 truly great ones. These 11 companies were all headed by what Collins called “Level 5 Leaders.”

He found that these leaders have humility, and they don’t seek success for their own glory; rather, success is necessary so that the team and organization can thrive. They share credit for success, and they’re the first to accept blame for mistakes. Collins also says that they’re often shy, but fearless when it comes to making decisions, especially ones that most other people consider risky. Level 5 Leaders also possess qualities found in four other levels of leadership that Collins identified. Although you don’t have to pass sequentially through each individual level before you become a Level 5 Leader, you must have the skills and capabilities found in each level of the hierarchy.

Let’s look at each of the five levels in more detail:

Level 1: Highly Capable Individual

At this level, you make high quality contributions with your work. You possess useful levels of knowledge; and you have the talent and skills needed to do a good job.

Level 2: Contributing Team Member

At Level 2, you use your knowledge and skills to help your team succeed. You work effectively, productively and successfully with other people in your group.

Level 3: Competent Manager

Here, you’re able to organize a group effectively to achieve specific goals and objectives.

Level 4: Effective Leader

Level 4 is the category that most top leaders fall into. Here, you’re able to galvanize a department or organization to meet performance objectives and achieve a vision.

Level 5: Great Leader

At Level 5, you have all of the abilities needed for the other four levels, plus you have the unique blend of humility and will that’s required for true greatness.

How to Become a Level 5 Leader?

It takes time and effort to become a Level 5 Leader. But the good news is that it can be done, especially if you have the passion to try. Again, it’s important to realize that you don’t have to progress through each level in turn in order to get to Level 5. But you do need the capabilities found in each level in order to achieve Level 5 status. Here are some strategies that will help you grow emotionally and professionally, so that you can develop the qualities of a Level 5 Leader:

Develop Humility –

Level 5 Leaders are humble people. So, learn why humility ‘Add to My Personal Learning Plan’ is important, and make sure that you understand – at a deep, emotional level – why arrogance is so destructive. Then ensure that you behave in a humble way – for example, whenever your team has success, make sure that credit goes to them for their hard work. Conversely, as a leader, you need to take responsibility for your team’s efforts, even when things go wrong.

Ask for Help –

Level 5 Leaders are sometimes mistakenly thought of as “weak,” because they ask for help when they need it. However, learning how to ask for help ‘Add to My Personal Learning Plan’ is a genuine strength, because it lets you call upon the expertise of someone stronger in an area than you are. The result? The entire team or organization wins; not just you.

Take Responsibility –

A top attribute of Level 5 Leaders is that they take responsibility ‘Add to My Personal Learning Plan’ for their team’s mistakes or failings. So make sure that you take responsibility for your (and your team’s) actions.

Develop Discipline –

Level 5 Leaders are incredibly disciplined ‘Add to My Personal Learning Plan’ in their work. When they commit to a course of action, no matter how difficult it is, they stick to their resolve. If you know in your heart that you’re right, then don’t let naysayers dissuade you from a course of action. It’s always important to listen to differing opinions, of course, but don’t let fear be your driving motivator when you make, or change, a decision.

Find the Right People –

Level 5 Leaders depend on the people around them. They spend time finding the right people ‘Add to My Personal Learning Plan’, and helping them reach their full potential. If you’re a leader or manager already, then you probably know without thinking who your best people are. However, you sometimes have to challenge these assumptions – our article on The Leader-Member Exchange Theory Add to My Personal Learning Plan shows you how to do this, so that you can get the best from everyone on your team.

Lead with Passion –

Level 5 Leaders are passionate about what they do, and they’re not afraid to show it. When you demonstrate to your team members that you love and believe in what you’re doing, they will too. If you’re having a hard time finding passion in your work, then you need to search for the human benefit in what you’re doing.

To put it simply, synergy means “two heads are better than one.” Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems. But it doesn’t just happen on its own. It’s a process, and through that process, people bring all their personal experience and expertise to the table. Together, they can produce far better results that they could individually. Synergy lets us discover jointly things we are much less likely to discover by ourselves. It is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. One plus one equals three, or six, or sixty–you name it.

When people begin to interact together genuinely, and they’re open to each other’s influence, they begin to gain new insight. The capability of inventing new approaches is increased exponentially because of differences.

Valuing differences is what really drives synergy. Do you truly value the mental, emotional, and psychological differences among people? Or do you wish everyone would just agree with you so you could all get along? Many people mistake uniformity for unity; sameness for oneness. One word–boring! Differences should be seen as strengths, not weaknesses. They add zest to life.

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Think Win-Win isn’t about being nice, nor is it a quick-fix technique. It is a character-based code for human interaction and collaboration.

Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think about succeeding in terms of someone else failing–that is, if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose. Life becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me; it’s not fair, and I’m going to make sure you don’t get anymore. We all play the game, but how much fun is it really?

Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-win means agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying. We both get to eat the pie, and it tastes pretty darn good!

A person or organization that approaches conflicts with a win-win attitude possesses three vital character traits:

1. Integrity: sticking with your true feelings, values, and commitments
2. Maturity: expressing your ideas and feelings with courage and consideration for the ideas and feelings of others
3. Abundance Mentality: believing there is plenty for everyone

Many people think in terms of either/or: either you’re nice or you’re tough. Win-win requires that you be both. It is a balancing act between courage and consideration. To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that–to achieve that balance between courage and consideration–is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.

“The world has changed dramatically since the classic, internationally bestselling The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was published, influencing tens of millions. The challenges and complexity we all face in our relationships, families, professional lives and communities are of an entirely new order of magnitude. In order to thrive, innovate, excel and lead in what Covey calls the new Knowledge Worker Age, we must build on and move beyond effectiveness…to greatness. Accessing the higher levels of human genius and motivation in today’s new reality requires a sea change of new thinking — a new mind-set, a new skill-set, a new tool-set — in short, a whole new habit.” ( Source: Amazon.com)

The crucial challenge is finding your voice in the surroundings you are placed in. Leadership is about finding your voice to motivate others to find their voice. Intriguing? How do we get there? That’s what ‘8th Habit’ of Dr Stephen Covey is all about. We spoke about ‘Quiet Leadership’ (by David Rock) in the last post I wrote. Quiet leadership is about helping others to think effectively. Wherein the leader brings out the best performance from the team he leads.

8th Habit is about a ‘win-win situation’ and Dr Covey says, its about suspending your interests long enough so as to understand what the other person wants in order to arrive at a collaborative solution. This is quite similar to the ‘Indian Talking Stick model’ he talks about through the famed videos on his training.

How do we increase our influence? –

(In his video on 8th Habit, He talks about the role of Body (to live), Mind (to learn), Heart (to love) and Spirit (to leave a legacy) in leadership style, that’s very inspiring to watch. He also talks about the role of light-house principles and the laws of nature. Most effective leaders have these qualities or they are working on the right path to acquire them)

He says, ‘find out how to work on three dimensions of yourself’ – they are

1. Ethos – your ethical nature, personal credibility and trust – that others have in your integrity and competence
2. Pathos – your empathy – knowing how others feel and how they see things
3. Logos – the power and persuasion of your presentation and thinking

‘The very top leaders in truly great organizations are ‘servant leaders’ – for example, Mahatma Gandhi was a truly servant leader – ego less, constant learner, compassionate, physically well-disciplined, truly committed to his work, and a visionary.

8th Habit is about finding your voice and help others find their voice. 8th Habit leader has a mind set and skill set to constantly look for potential in others to help them succeed. His style of leadership is to communicate to others the true sense of their potential or self-worth.

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Raman Ramamurthy is the Founder and Owner of Rambuna Consultants, Management Consultancy firm providing Recruitment services in Sales & Marketing for Niche segments, Corporate Training programs and Business consulting to the SME (Small & Medium Enterprises) sector. Stay connected with him on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or you can reach him on +91 9819309564